Circuit-interrupter.



a. B. MACNaiiLL:

CiRCUIT INTERRUPTER.

APPUCATION FILED AUG. 30, 1916.

W O i k 1:1 13%1 Pmmted 9%. 2,1911

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- WITNESSES: v M N INVENTOR L B. MAcNEILL.

CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJO 19l6.

1,2%1,533. Pin-6mm Oct. 2, 1917 Z SHEETSSHEET 2.

WiTNESSES: INVENTOR fit/d. fa/7g B. Mac/V91 ATTORNEY UNITE STATES PATENTOFFICE.

JOHN B. moNEILL, or wILxrNsnnae, PENNS-Y-LVANIA, 'ASSIGNOR rownsrmenousn nwcrnic A D MANUFACTURIN CCMPANY, A CORPORATION orPENNSYLVANIA.

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'To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, JOHN B. MAGNEILL,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of- Wilkinsbur in thecounty of. Allegheny and State of ennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Circuit-Interrupters, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates circuit interrupt ers and particularly to automaticcircuit interrupters that are provided with means vide acontact-carrying lever, an actuating lever, a latch for holding themtogether and a second latch for securing the actuating lever to astationary member. The latches were-so arranged that the tripping of oneautomatically released the other.

struct anddifiicult to adjust. In view of the above, I provide twolevers having cam surfaces near their outer. ends, a latch for latchingthem together and a spring-restrained pm or cam member that is adaptedto be-' come so wedged between the cam surfaces as to hold the levers intheir closed until one of the levers is released matic or manual means.

y auto- In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view, partiallyin section and partially in elevatlon, of a device embodying" mymvention, and Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1. p

A circuit interrupter 1 comprises movable and stationary contact members2 and 3, an operating mechanism 4, a tripping device 5, and anaccelerating and retarding means 6 for the movable contact members Y Theoperating mechanism 4 comprises an operating electromagnet 7 having astationary magnetizable core member 8,-a movable core member 9 and awindin 10. A lever arm 11 is pivotally 'mounte on a in 12 "that issupported by brackets 13. out e sta- -tionary core member 8 of theelectromagnet 7. -The movable contact members 2 of the Specification ofLetters Patent.

uch devices, whlle effective, were expenslve to con-' ositions Patented0ct. 2, 191 '7.

Application filed August 10, 1916. Serial R o. 114,161.

circuit interrupter 1 are supported by a rod 14: that is operativelyconnected to one end 15 of the lever 11 which is provided with a camsurface 16 at its other end and with a pin 17 that is disposed across anopening 18 therein. A two-part lever 19 is also pivotally mounted on thepin 12 and its two arms are disposed on the respective sides of thelever 11. The movable core member 9 of the electromagnet 7 isoperatively connected, through a pin 20, to the lever 19. A latch 21 issupported on a bracket 22 on one end of the lever 19 and is providedwith a projection 23 which isadapted to be normally held in suchposition by a spring 2 1 that the latch engages the pin 17 in the lever11 to hold the levers together. The bracket 22 is provided with inwardlyextending projec- The combined accelerating and retarding" device 6 ismounted u on brackets on the magnetizable core mem er 8 oftheelectromagnet 7 and comprises a casing 30, a piston 31, a rod 32 and aspring 33. The rod 32 is operatively connected at one of its ends, tothe lever=11 and, at 1ts other end, to the piston 31. Thespring 33 isdisposed between the piston 31 and a cover 34. of the casing 30. Thespring 33 is adapted to ac- 95 members 2 and 3, and the piston 31 is.

"celerate the disengagement of the contact adapted to 006 crate with thecasing 30 for the purpose 0 retarding the movement of the contactmembers 2 toward the latter part of their movement.

A member 35 is pivotally mounted on a bracket 36 onthe stationary coremember 26 of the tripping magnet 5 and is adapted to support a pin orcam member 37. The

member 35 is provided with a double acting spring 38 for normallyholding the member 35 in a predetermined position. The pin 37 is adaptedto engage the lower surfaces 39 of the projections 25 which are soshaped that, after the pin 37 engages the same, they the position shownin Fig. 1 of the drawin and that it is desired to trip the same, t e

winding 28 of the tripping magnet is energized and its movable coremember 27 rises and causes the rod 29 to engage the projection 23 on thelatch 21; thus releasing the interlocking pin 17 and permitting thelever 11 to move upwardly. After the lever 11 has moved to such positionthat the in 37 does not enfiag: the cam surface 16, t e member 35 wimoved in a clockwise direction and the pin- 37 will pass over thesurfaces 40 of the projections 25 until it assumes the position shown inthe dot-and-dash' lines in the drawings. This will ermit the lever 19 tobe moved upwardly y springs 41 that are connected between projections 42on the lever 19 and the stationary core member 8 of the electroma et 7.

When t e lever 19 moves upwardly, the latch 21 will again engage the pin17, and, if

it is desired to reclose the circuit interru ter 1, the windin 10 of theelectromagnet is ener 'zed. en the winding 10 is energize the movablecore member 9 is moved ownwardly until the pin 37 in the member 35slides over the surfaces 39 and 40 of the projections 25 to suchposition that it becomes lodged between the cam surface 16 of the lever11 and the surfaces 40 of the rojections 25, as hereinbefore set forth.owever, if such conditions obtain on the circuit to which theinterrupter is connected as to render closure of the interru terinadvisable, the projection 23 of the atch 21 will engage the rod 29which will ermit the lever 11 to a ain move upward y and the lever 19 tofo ow a short time afterward.

From'the above, it will be understood that only a single latch isemployed and that no device is necessar to permit the sequentialoperation of the evers.

It will be further understood that my invention is not limited to theparticular structure illustrated, as it may be variously modified withinthe spirit and scope of the appended claims. v

I claim as my inventionz' 1. An electric switch comprising a move ablecontact-carrying member having a pin therein and a cam surface at one ofits ends, an operating lever having a cam surface and a latch for enaging the pin in the contactcarrying mem r, and a pivotally-mountedmember having a pm therein that is adapted to so engage the cam surfaceof the operating lever and to be held in such position by the camsurface of the contact-carrying member that the operating lever is heldin its closed position.

2. In a circuit-closing device, the combination with twopivotally-mounted members and means for latching them together, of a.pivotally-mounted spring-restrained member having a pin therein, eachof the pivotally-mounted members having a cam surface therein adapted toso engage the pin in the spring-restrained members that thepivotally-mounted members are secured in their closed position.

3. The combination with two pivotallymounted levers and means forlatching them together, of a pivotally-mounted member having a pintherein that is adapted to be so lodged between the two levers as tohold them in a predetermined position.

'4. The combination with two pivotallymounted levers, and means forlatching them together, of a pivotally-mounted member having a pintherein that is adapted to be so lodged between the two levers as tohold them in predetermined positions and to permit their successiveoperation when the latch that normally holds them together is released.

5. In a circuit interrupter, the combina-- tion with a contact-carryinglever and an actuating lever, of means for latching the levers together,and a pivotally-mounted member adapted to become so lodged between thetwo levers as to hold them in predetermined positions.-

6. In a-circuit interrupter, the combination with a contact-carryinglever and an actuating lever, of means for latching the levers together,and a pivotally-mounted spring-restrained member adapted to become solodged between the two levers as to hold one of them in predeterminedpositions.

7. In a circuit interrupter, the combina- 1 tion with a contact-carryinglever and an actuating lever, of means for latching the levers together,and a pivotally-mounted spring-restrained cam member adapted to becomeso lodged between the two levers as to hold them in predeterminedpositions.

8. In a circuit interrupter, the combination with, a contact-carryinglever and an actuating lever, of means for latching the levers together,a pivotally-mounted springrestrained cam member adapted to become solodged between the two levers as to hold them in predeterminedpositions, and means for releasing the latching means to release thecontact-carrying lever from the other 126 lever, said cam member beingadapted ,to release the other lever after the contact-carrying lever hasso moved as to permit the cam member to be dislodged.

9. The combination with two pivotally- 130 r e-antes g their outer ends,of means for latching them is together, and relatively stationary meansadapted to become wedged between the two cam surfaces to hold them inpredetermined positions.

In testimony subscribed my name this 27th day of July,

JOHN B. MACNEILL.

whereof I have hereunto 15

